Ariana Grande Is Billboard's 2018 Woman of the Year
The singer will be honored at the Billboard Women in Music dinner and awards gala in New York on Dec. 6.
After an incredibly successful year and on the heels of her Billboard 200 chart-topping fourth album Sweetener, Ariana Grande has been named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year.
The superstar singer, songwriter, actress and activist will be presented with the award Dec. 6 at the 13th annual Women in Music dinner and awards gala in New York. Grande joins a history of icons who have been previously honored as Woman of the Year, including Selena Gomez, Madonna, Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift.
“Ariana Grande is a star on her own terms, never bending to any particular musical trend or path in the industry,” says Ross Scarano, Billboard’s vp of content. “Certain in her convictions, she consistently stands up for herself and her decisions in a world that often isn’t hospitable to that sort of strength in young women. She’s got guts, she’s making some of the best music of her career, and she’s absolutely deserving of Woman of the Year.”
Over the course of her career, Grande has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart three times. Her latest chart-topper was August's Sweetener, home to the hits "No Tears Left to Cry" and "God Is a Woman" and scoring the largest streaming week ever for a pop album by a female artist upon its release.
Beyond music, Grande uses her platform and strength to support causes she believes in. She took part in March for Our Lives earlier this year in support of smarter gun control laws and is constantly advocating for mental health awareness, gender equality, LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter on her social media accounts. Following the tragic Manchester Arena bombing outside her concert last year, the songstress helped organize the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised more than $23 million to aid victims and their families.
The Women in Music event and red-carpet pre-show will broadcast live on Dec. 6 via Twitter from 7:00 to 10 p.m. ET. Sponsors include American Airlines, Honda Stage and Nielsen Music. Source: BillBoard
2016-09-12
Watch Lady Gaga's First Performance of "Perfect Illusion" at London Club
Lady GaGa surprised fans with the first live performance of her new single “Perfect Illusion” at London’s Moth Club early Saturday morning (Sept. 10).
“Perfect Illusion,” Gaga’s first new solo track in three years, went to No. 1 on the real-time Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart premiering the song on radio stations Thursday night. The song was officially released the following day.
“Illusion,” produced by Gaga, Mark Ronson, Bloodpop and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, previews Gaga’s forthcoming new studio album, expected later this year.
During an interview with BBC Radio 1 hours after “Illusion” dropped, the singer revealed another hint about the album: It features a duet with Florence Welch.
“Me and Florence Welch did a duet together. I started to work on an idea for a song that I really wanted to do with a girl. You’ll see why when you see what the song is about," Gaga said. “I just thought, ‘Who do I want to sing with?’ She’s really to me if not the best, one of the greatest vocalists in the world. She’s incredible.”
Listen to "Perfect Illusion" video on YouTube chanel.
Lady GaGa is looking to expand her business empire by launching a drinking water brand, according to a U.S. report.
The pop superstar, who recently released her first fragrance, "The Fame", is said to be putting the finishing touches on a new bottled water venture.
Lady Gaga and her creative team are said to be keeping details of the project top secret, but are preparing to launch the new water brand with a multi-million pound advertising campaign, according to the New York Daily News.
A source tells the publication, "Everyone at Gaga HQ is keeping very tight-lipped. There are plans being prepared for marketing strategies. We know that the water drink is due out in the near future. No one has seen prototypes of the bottle.
"Gaga water is something that has been in the pipeline for a few months, and now things are gearing up to an announcement and high-profile launch."
Gaga will be following the footsteps of 50 Cent with her water project - the rapper previously invested in Glaceau's Vitaminwater, which reportedly made him an estimated £62.5 million when the company was bought out by drinks giant Coca-Cola. Source: Ananova
2011-05-06
Producer defends Gaga over copycat claims
A producer who worked on Lady GaGa's "Born This Way" track has slammed suggestions the track is a rip-off of Madonna's "Express Yourself", insisting most modern songs sound familiar.
"The Poker Face" sensation came under fire following the release of the lead track of her second album earlier this year after critics and fans pointed out the song's tune is almost identical to that of the "Material Girl's" classic.
However, DJ White Shadow, who helped produce the track, is convinced many songs currently in the charts sound like old tunes - and insists it is the kooky pop star who is the real victim of copycats.
He says, "I think it was bulls**t to be honest. I guess there are a hundred songs that you could put a pitch shift and a BPM (beats per minute) change on and loop and make them sound like anything. Actually there are five songs out that are exactly the same song, on the radio at the same time. Right now. Why doesn't anyone ever bring that up? That's a felony.
"How many people have been copying Gaga since she came out? Oh, I have that answer: everyone. Have you seen all the lightning bolts painted on faces, or the one hand eye cover-ups during photos?
"How about the fact that there was barely any dance music on the radio until Just Dance came out? Come on ***kers, let's keep it real here. If we are going to talk about who is chasing who, I think we all know the answer to that."
Gaga herself has vehemently denied she plagiarised Madonna's song. Source: Ananova
2010-08-11
Allen hits back over Gaga row
Lily Allen has taken to the web to clear up comments she made about Lady GaGa's gender while onstage at a music festival on Sunday.
The Smile star wrapped up her singing career at the Big Chill in Herefordshire at the weekend, and was shocked when a reveller threw a potato onto the stage.
Picking the vegetable up, Allen read out the edible missile's message, telling the crowd, "It says, 'Show me your penis'. They must have mistaken me for Lady Gaga."
The barb was a reference to bizarre rumours last year that the Poker Face superstar has both male and female genitalia.
But Allen insists she meant no harm by the playful quip, writing on her Twitter.com page, "Everyone knows I am ladygaga's biggest fan. So don't believe the bulls**t. I'm a little monster and no one can take that away from me!" Source: Ananova
2010-08-04
Lady Gaga receives record VMA nods
Lady GaGa is set to dominate the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) - the pop star has landed a record-breaking 13 nominations.
The "Poker Face" hitmaker haul marks the most ever VMA nominations scored by one artist in a single year.
Gaga has received nods in a string of different categories including Best Pop Video, Best Dance Music Video, Best Female Video, Best Choreography and Best Collaboration.
The delighted singer says, "I'm so honoured for all the little monsters (fans) and self-professed freaks of the universe to have more VMA nominations in a single year than any artist in MTV history. Ironically, I'm even more proud it's an unlucky number - 13.
"A long time ago the world told me and my little monsters we would never be heard, together we changed the rules. God put me on Earth for three reasons: To make loud music, gay videos and cause a damn raucous (sic). Thank you, MTV!"
Gaga will compete against herself in for Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and the Video of the Year - her Video Phone collaboration with Beyonce will go head-to-head with Bad Romance in all three categories.
"Tik Tok" by Ke$ha, "California Gurls" by Katy Perry and Taylor Swift's "Fifteen" will also compete for the Best Female Video award, while "California Gurls", "Tik Tok" and "Nothin' On You" by B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars will also fight for the Best Pop Video honour.
Rap superstar Eminem, who landed eight nominations, will challenge Gaga for the coveted Video of the Year title with his single "Not Afraid", while the song will also battle for Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video. Drake's star-studded "Forever", which features Eminem alongside Kanye West and Lil Wayne, is also a contender for Best Hip-Hop Video.
Meanwhile, Ke$ha's hit track has also scored the pop star a nod for the Best New Artist prize, going up against Justin Bieber ("Baby"), Jason Derulo ("In My Head"), Nicki Minaj ("Massive Attack") and Broken Bells ("The Ghost Inside").
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre on 12 September. Source: Ananova
2010-07-12
Gaga thrills fans with traffic stopping homecoming gig
Lady GaGa brought traffic in her native New York City to a halt on Friday when more than 20,000 devotees crowded the streets to watch the star perform a free show in the rain.
The Poker Face singer took to the stage as part of breakfast TV programme The Today Show's Summer Concert Series and played a handful of songs, including her hit Bad Romance and new single Alejandro.
Gaga also treated fans to a rendition of standard Someone To Watch Over Me and a new track, titled You and I, during which she writhed around on top of a grand piano in the middle of Rockefeller Center as the skies opened and the rain began falling.
The pop star ended her short set by thanking the crowd for waiting hours in the wet weather, telling them, "Thank you for making my dreams come true! Let it rain!"
Fans started camping out at the venue on Thursday to reserve their spots ahead of the star's Friday morning TV appearance - and Gaga rewarded their dedication by having boxes of pizza and bottles of water delivered to them to keep them energised as they slept on the streets.
Taking to her Twitter.com blog on Thursday, Gaga wrote, "My little monster sweeties are already camped outside today show! I love u! Will be sending u pizza and water all day!"
She later added, "Thousands of precious lil monsters are sleeping in street outside TodayShow. May NY watchover (sic) u, + may u sleep smiling under the stars. Amen."
Today show bosses claim Gaga may have broken attendance records with her televised performance. Source: Ananova
2010-07-08
Grammy rule change for Gaga
Lady GaGa's power is such she has changed Grammy Awards rules - America's Recording Academy officials have agreed to revamp their Best New Artist category after the Poker Face singer was deemed ineligible in 2010.
Gaga was considered a surefire nominee but was ignored when the category contenders were announced - because she'd been an unsuccessful nominee for a single at the 2009 Grammys.
The outcry surrounding Gaga's snub has prompted Grammy bosses to make amendments to the eligibility process, allowing acts that have been unsuccessfully nominated for a single to be eligible for new artist consideration.
Also new to the Grammy rules, classical music producers are now eligible for the Producer of the Year category by submitting just one recording, as opposed to the previous three. Source: Ananova
2010-06-30
Gaga "poses as man" for new shoot
Lady GaGa is set to shock fans with a controversial new photoshoot - the pop star has reportedly posed as a man.
A series of pictures taken for an upcoming issue of Japan's Vogue Hommes magazine have surfaced online and appear to show the singer styled as a boy, sporting a short black crop and a man's suit.
The shots were taken by famed photographer Nick Knight and arranged by Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti.
Formichetti shared the pictures with fans on Twitter.com, and credited the 'male' model as Jo Calderone, but sparked rumours the subject is in fact the superstar by writing, "Lady Gaga as a boy for Vogue Hommes Japan?" Source: Ananova
2010-06-22
Top Touring Artists Join KoRn In Boycott Of BP
KoRn's boycott of BP (British Petroleum) has started a ground swell of like-minded musicians intent on making a statement against the devastation in The Gulf caused by BP's record-setting oil spill. The following top touring artists have joined the cause and have committed to avoid the use of fuel sold by BP or its affiliates on their upcoming tours for 2010:
• Disturbed
• Lady GaGa
• Rise Against
• Godsmack
• Backstreet Boys
• Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival
• Slightly Stoopid
• Rob Zombie
• Megadeth
• Black Label Society
• Anthrax
• Creed (US)
• Filter
• Hellyeah
• Flogging Molly
"This is the worst thing that has ever happened to the environment in U.S. history. From everything we're hearing about now, it's become clear that BP cut corners to put profit ahead of safety. The message we are sending should tell all the oil companies to spend the money and take the necessary precautions to make sure this doesn't happen again," said JonathÁn Davis of KORN. "I'm really proud that this many artists have already come on board, and I hope more will join soon."
First estimates show close to 100 vehicles, trucks and buses from the committed artists will be involved in the boycott this summer. The number is continuously growing, resulting in tours all across North America refusing to fill up with BP products. More touring artists and people throughout the continent are uniting in boycotts against BP as a result of the catastrophic oil spill.
Some summer festival tours like the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival are already known for using biofuels. However, the entire festival, comprised of twelve bands, will promise to not purchase their biofuels from BP or any of their affiliates. Tour creator Kevin Lyman agrees, stating "We have so many friends that are now affected by this spill that unless BP spends whatever is needed their livelihoods are lost forever. To that end we are encouraging everyone we deal with to find alternative ways to get down the road this summer." Source: DarkSide.ru
2010-06-10
Gaga defends racy new clip
Lady GaGa has defended her racy new "Alejandro" video following a storm of criticism over the religious imagery in the clip - insisting she will not be "broken" by "prejudice".
The promo, which Gaga has previously called "a celebration and an admiration of gay love", sees the saucy singer in her underwear writhing on a bed with semi-naked male dancers in a bondage-style scene. The video also shows Gaga dressed in a latex nuns' outfit, suggestively swallowing a set of rosary beads, and appears to include references to Madonna's famous videos for "Like A Prayer and Vogue".
The religious elements in the clip have caused consternation amongst campaign groups including bosses at America's Catholic League, who have released a statement slamming the star's efforts.
It reads, "Lady Gaga is playing Madonna copy cat, squirming around half-naked with half-naked guys, abusing Catholic symbols - they're always Catholic symbols - while bleating out Alejandro enough times to induce vomit... She has now become the new poster girl for American decadence and Catholic bashing, sans (without) the looks and talent of her role model."
But Gaga has hit back at the complaints, insisting she won't let the negative comments upset her.
In a series of posts on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "So many will try to destroy me. So many, over and over, coming in periods of greatness. But in this period, I cannot be broken... Prejudice is a disease. And when they come for you, or refuse your worth, I will be ready for their stones..."
The video's director Steven Klein has also spoken out following the negative reaction to the footage, and he's adamant Gaga did not intend to portray the Catholic church in a negative light.
He tells MTV.com, "The religious symbolism is not meant to denote anything negative, but represents the character's battle between the dark forces of this world and the spiritual salvation of the soul. Thus at the end of the film, she chooses to be a nun (and she swallows the rosary beads to represent) the desire to take in the holy." Source: Ananova
2010-06-04
Lady Gaga sparks fury with blood-soaked performance
Lady GaGa has come under fire for mimicking a murder scene onstage during a performance on Wednesday, as the U.K. comes to terms with two separate killing sprees.
The Poker Face hitmaker revisited her shocking performance from last year's MTV Video Music Awards at a show in Manchester when she pretended to be brutally attacked by her male dancers, before falling to the floor covered in fake blood.
The shocking imagery came on the day cab driver Derrick Bird went on the rampage in Cumbria - shooting 12 people dead and leaving 11 others injured, before killing himself.
The carnage happened just days after PhD student Stephen Griffiths was charged with murdering three prostitutes in Bradford.
Both incidents have left Brits reeling - and revellers at Gaga's gig were disgusted by the pop star's untimely antics.
Lydia Haines tells The Sun, "I'm a huge fan but was shocked like everyone else. It was sick, especially after what happened in Bradford and Cumbria. It was just over the top and gory."
Another concert-goer adds, "I'm absolutely sickened at what I saw. We know Lady Gaga is not exactly mainstream for all the family, but she crossed the line this time. It was extremely tasteless to see her pretend to be attacked in such a gory way, especially in front of kids."
Anti-violence campaigner Lynn Costello, spokesperson for Mothers Against Violence charity, says, "I wouldn't let any child of mine go to see Lady Gaga - I think she's tasteless anyway and this scene appears to back what I believe.
"Something like this is tasteless at any time but so soon after what happened in Bradford and Cumbria it also shows a total lack of sensitivity to the families of the victims. These people seem more concerned with selling tickets." Source: Ananova
2010-06-03
Gaga slams security guards for costume ban
Lady GaGa "reprimanded" security guards at her concert on Wednesday night after fans were banned from dressing up as their idol.
The star was "outraged" when she heard concert-goers in costume were being refused entry to the MEN Arena in Manchester prior to her gig there.
Gaga reveals security teams were targeting fans who had pinned soda cans into their hair - in reference to the singer's recent public appearance with Coca Cola tins wrapped into her curls.
And the singer was so angry upon hearing the news, she tackled the situation herself - demanding officials ease the restrictions and let her "little monsters" into the arena.
In a post on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "Outraged... Staff at the MEN aren't letting people into the arena with cans in their hair. So many sad Little Monsters."
She later added, "All is well at MEN Arena, feel free to wear your coke cans proud in hair. Security has been reprimanded for censoring Little Monster freedoms."
The news comes just days after fans attending Gaga's gig at the O2 Arena in London on Sunday were banned from dressing up, and items including glowsticks, flags, homemade banners and trendy fingerless gloves were confiscated by security. Source: Ananova
